Bones Grow Inside a Woman's Eye

A 60-year-old woman from Los Angeles has recently found that, following her opting for a new cosmetic procedure that involved the use of adult stem cells, bones started to grow inside her right eye.

Specialists explain that, at least in theory, stem cell cosmetics can make a person look younger, seeing how these cells supposedly turn into new tissue and help rejuvenate the skin. As well as this, they chemically stimulate the cells found in their proximity to heal themselves.

However, in the case of this patient, the stem cells used for her face lift ended up turning into bony tissue, which “nestled” in her eyelid and in the skin surrounding her eye, Scientific American explains.

Apparently, the clinicians who performed this procedure overlooked the fact that the mesenchymal stem cells they injected in the woman's face and the dermal filters used to improve on her wrinkles were bound to interact with one another, causing bones to grow.

As biologists explain, the dermal filters typically used when performing various cosmetic procedures contain calcium hydroxylapatite, which is basically a mineral that encourages the mesenchymal stem cells to turn into bone.

Cosmetic surgeon Allan Wu (i.e. the clinician who removed the bone fragments from the woman's eye) explains that, after a surgery that lasted for about six and a half hours, he and his team removed several pieces of bone, which were stuck inside the woman's eyelid and the tissue surrounding her eye.

Due to the fact that the woman's face might still contain living mesenchymal stem cells, Allan Wu believes that sooner or later bones could once again begin to grow in places where they have no business growing.

Cell biologist Paul Knopfler, presently working with the University of California, wished to draw attention to the fact that, “Many of us are super excited about stem cells, but at same time we have to be really careful.”

Furthermore, “These aren't your typical drugs. You can stop taking a pill and the chemicals go away. But if you get stem cells, most likely you will have some of those cells or their effects for the rest of your life. And we simply don't know everything they are going to do.”